Arline Custer Memorial Award

DEADLINE: July 31, 2024 

The Arline Custer Memorial Award  is presented by the MARAC Arline Custer Memorial Award Committee. This award honors the memory of Arline Custer (1909-1975), MARAC member and editor of the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections.

Eligibility

The Arline Custer Memorial Award recognizes the best books and articles written or compiled by individuals and institutions in the MARAC region - the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Works under consideration include, but are not limited to, monographs, popular narratives, reference works and exhibition catalogs using archival sources.

Individuals or institutions may submit up to two works published between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.

Evaluation

Works must be relevant to the general public as well as the archival community. They also should be original and well-researched using available sources. In addition, they should be clearly presented, well-written and organized. Visual materials, if used, should be appropriate to the text.

Compiled works or works with multiple authors—such as edited volumes, co-authored works, or journals—will be reviewed in their entirety. Portions of a multiple-author work that do not meet award requirements may impact the submission’s final scoring.

Preference will be given to works by archivists.

Award

Up to three awards may be given, with a maximum value of $200.00 for books and $100.00 for articles. The 2024 award(s) will be announced at the Fall 2024 business meeting.

Electronic Submission Instructions

Please send a PDF of the entirety of the work along with a PDF of a letter of nomination to the Senior Co-Chair of the Arline Custer Memorial Award Committee: Elise DeAndrea at [email protected] 

Physical Submission Instructions

Please send two physical copies of each submission with a letter of nomination to the Senior Co-Chair of the Arline Custer Memorial Award Committee. Please email the Senior Co-Chair, Elise DeAndrea at [email protected] to request the mailing address. 

Entries must be received by July 31, 2024.

Award Winners

The Arline Custer Memorial Award recognizes the best books, articles, and exhibition catalogues published by MARAC members and other individuals and institutions in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

2023202220212020 |20192018 | 2017 | 2016 | 20152014 | 2013 |2012 | 2011| 2010 |2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | 1987 | 1986 | 1985 | 1984 | 1983 | 1982 | 1981 | 1980 | 1979


2023
Book Award Winners:
Kelly Hayes McAlonie for Louise Blanchard Bethune: Every Woman Her Own Architect [https://sunypress.edu/Books/L/Louise-Blanchard-Bethune]
Aaron Purcell for As Wolves upon a Sheep Fold: The Civil War Letters of Ohio Surgeon William S. Newton [https://utpress.org/title/as-wolves-upon-a-sheep-fold/]

Article Award Winner:
Mary Schreiner for “Realities of Life in an Institution: Dispelling Misconceptions of Disability” [https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/pa-history/article-abstract/89/3/429/316894/Realities-of-Life-in-an-InstitutionDispelling]


2022
Book Award Winner:
Allison Finkelstein for Forgotten Veterans, Invisible Memorials: How American Women Commemorated the Great War, 1917-1945

Article Award Winner:
Rob Schoberlein for "When Harry Met Elsey: Madness, Power, and Justice in Federal Era Baltimore"


2021
Book Award Winner:
Mary Rizzo for Come and be Shocked: Baltimore beyond John Waters and The Wire

Article Award Winner:
Frank Vitale for  “Counting Carlisle’s Casualties: Defining Student Death at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, 1879– 1918” 


2020
Book Award Winner:
Barry Loveland and William Burton for Out in Central Pennsylvania: The History of an LGBTQ Community

Article Award Winners:
Sarah Hedlund for “At the Hands of Parties Unknown: The 1880 Lynchings in Montgomery County, Maryland”

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2019
Book Award Winner:
Kate Theimer for A Very Correct Idea of Our School: A Photographic History of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School

Article Award Winners:
Alexis Braun Marks, Rachael Dreyer, Jennifer Johnson, and Michelle Sweetser for "The Cost of Care and the Impact on the Archives Profession"

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2018
Book Award Winners:
Anthony Cocciolo for Moving Image and Sound Collections for Archivists

Therese Mulligan for Jeannette Klute: A Photographic Pioneer

Article Award Winners:
Daniel Carpenter, Zachary Popp, Tobias Resch, Benjamin Schneer, and Nicole Topich for  “Suffrage Petitioning as Formative Practice: American women Presage and Prepare for the Vote, 1840-1940”

Alex H. Poole for “Pinkett’s Charges: Recruiting, Maintaining, and Mentoring Archivists of Color in the Twenty-First Century”

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2017

Book Award Winner:

Stacie Taranto for Kitchen Table Politics: Conservative Women and Family Values in New York 

Article Award Winner:

Michael McCoy for "The High Price of Living: The Lives of Insolvent Laborers in Jacksonian-Era Cumberland County"

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2016

Book Award Winner:

Allen Dieterich-Ward for Beyond Rust: Metropolitan Pittsburgh and the Fate of Industrial America (2015)


Article Award Winner:

Zachary Brodt for "Strike Out : A Pirates Pitcher at the Battle of Homestead."

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2015

Book Award Winner:

Delaney, John M.  Nova Caesarea: A Cartographic Record of the Garden State, 1666-1888, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Library, 2014.

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2014

Book Award Winner:

Kiron, Arthur, editor and Andrea Gottschalk, artistic editor. Constellations of Atlantic Jewish History, 1555-1890: The Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica, Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, 2014. 

Article Award Winner:

Purcell, Aaron D.  "Charles Minor's Cashbook and the Diary of E.P. Harmon, a Maine Soldier in the Overland Campaign, Spring 1864."  Maine History 48:1 (January 2014), 136-158.

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2013

Book Award Winner:

Richard McKinstry for Charles Magnus, Lithographer: Illustrating America's Past, 1850 - 1900 (New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 2013).

Article Award Winner:

Christine Anne George for "Archives Beyond the Pale: Negotiating Legal and Ethical Entanglements after the Belfast Project" published in the Spring/Summer 2013 issue of the American Archivist.

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2012

Book Award Winner:

Maurice Isserman for On the Hill: A Bicentennial History of Hamilton College, 1812-2012 (Clinton, NY: Trustees of Hamilton College, 2011.)

The 388-page book, filled with images drawn largely from the Hamilton College Archives, provides a detailed, compellingly written story of the college’s history.

Article Award Winner:

Edward A. Galloway for “Guyasuta: Warrior, Estate, & Home to Boy Scouts,” published in the Winter 2011-2012 issue of Western Pennsylvania History magazine:  http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/10839/

The article describes a Boy Scout camp in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania - the history of its land, who occupied it, and the changes and improvements made to it over the years.

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2011

Book Award Winner:

Douglas L. Frost, MICA: Making History/Making Art, 2010.

Article Award Winner:

Mary Beth Corrigan, "Whether they be ours or no, they may be heirs of the kingdom': The Pursuit of Family Ties among Enslaved People in the District of Columbia," published in In the Shadow of Freedom (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, spring 2011).

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2010

Book Award Winner:
John H. Pollack, ed., Special Collection Department, University of Pennsylvania, "The Good Education of Youth": Worlds of Learning in the Age of Franklin (New Castle, Delaware and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Oak Knoll Press and University of Pennsylvania Libraries 2009)

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2009

Book Award Winner:

Anthony S. Pitch, “They Have Killed Papa Dead!” The Road to Ford’s Theater, Abraham Lincoln’s Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance (Hanover: Steerforth Press, 2008)

Article Award Winner:

Donna Wells with David Haberstich, “The Scurlock Studio: A Biography” in The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2009)

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2008

Book Award Winner:

New York City Municipal Archives. New York Rises: Photographs by Eugene de Salignac. New York: Aperture, 2007.

Article Award Winner:

Randy L. Goss, "The 'Art and Mystery' of Delaware's Apprentice Indentures" in Delaware History.

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2007

Book Award Winner:

Thomas C. Battle and Donna M. Wells (editors). Legacy: Treasures of Black History. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006

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2006

Book Award Winner:

Menzi L. Behrnd-Klodt and Peter J. Wosh (editors). Privacy and Confidentiality Perspectives: Archivists & Archival Records. Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 2005.

Article Award Winner:

Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library. "Unseen Hands: Women Printers, Binders and Book Designers," by Rebecca Warren Davidson, 2005. [Exhibition catalog.]

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2005

Book Award Winner:

John M. Delaney. Of maps and men: in pursuit of a Northwest Passage : an exhibition of maps, books, artwork, and photographs : Leonard L. Milberg Gallery, Harvey S. Firestone Library, Princeton University, 4 April-26 September 2004. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Library.

Article Award Winner:

David A. Pfeiffer, "Bridging the Mississippi: The Railroads and Steamboats Clash at the Rock Island Bridge," in Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration (Summer, 2004).

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2004

Book Award Winner:

Bruce I. Ambacher, editor. Thirty Years of Electronic Records. Scarecrow Press.

Article Award Winner:

E. Richard McKinstry. "From the Archives: Archives, Diplomatics, and French Watercolor Art: A Detectives Journey." Winterthur Portfolio: A Journal of Material Culture, Vol. 37.

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2003

Book Award Winner:

Arthur H. Aufses and Barbara Niss. This House of Noble Deeds: The Mount Sinai Hospital, 1952-2002. New York: NYU Press, 2002.

Article Award Winner:

Joseph-James Ahern. "Ross Gunn and the Naval Research Laboratory's Research into Nuclear Propulsion, 1939-1946." In Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences, Vol. 33, part 2 (2003).

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2002

Book Award Winner:

William C. Allen. History of the United States Capitol: A Chronicle of Design, Construction and Politics. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2001.

Article Award Winner:

Robert W. Schoeberlein. "The Beginning of Mental Health Care Reform in Maryland, 1908-1910." Maryland Historical Magazine, Volume 96, no. 4 (Winter 2001), pp. 439-474.

Honorable Mention:

Milton M. Klein, ed. The Empire State: A History of New York. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2001.

New York Archives, Volume 1, Number 1 through Volume 2, Number One. Albany: New York State Archives and Archives Partnership Trust, 2001-2002.

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2001

Book Award Winner:

Anthony S. Pitch. The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1988. Award given for first paperback edition, c 2000.

Article Award Winner:

Gary D. Saretzky. "She Worked Her Head Off: Edwin and Louise Rosskam and the Golden Age of Documentary Photography Books." The Photo Review, Volume 23, no. 3 (Summer 2000); and "Documenting Diversity: Edwin Rosskam and the Photo Book, 1940-1941." The Photo Review, Volume 23, no. 4 (Fall 2000).

Article Award Honorable Mention:

Walter B. Hill. "Living with the Hydra: The Documentation of Slavery and the Slave Trade in Federal Records." Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration, Volume 32, no. 4 (Winter 2000).

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2000

Book Award Winner: Reed Massengill. Becoming American Express: 150 Years of Reinvention and Customer Service. New York: American Express, 1999.

Book Award Honorable Mention: Debra E. Bernhardt and Rachel Bernstein. Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: A Pictorial History of Working People in New York City. New York: New York University Press, 2000.

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1999

Book Award Winner:

Molly McGarry and Fred Wasserman. Becoming Visible: An Illustrated History of Lesbian and Gay Life in Twentieth-Century America. New York: Penguin Studio, 1998.

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1998

First Prize:

Thomas J. Frusciano and Marilyn Pettit. New York University and the City: An Illustrated History. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1997.

Second Prize:

Sandra Gioia Treadway and Edward D.C. Campbell, Jr., eds. The Common Wealth: Treasures from the Collections of the Library of Virginia. Richmond: The Library of Virginia, 1997.

Honorable Mention:

L. Rebecca Johnson Melvin. Self Works: Diaries, Scrapbooks, and Other Autobiographical Effects. Newark: University of Delaware Library, 1997.

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1997

Linda A. Ries, ed. Pennsylvania History: Special Issue: History of Photography in Pennsylvania. Volume 64, no. 2 (Spring 1997).

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1996

Leslie Hanson Kopp, ed. Dance Archives: A Practical Manual for Documenting and Preserving the Ephemeral Art. Lee, MA: Preserve, 1995.

James P. Quigel, ed. Journal of Rutgers University Libraries: Consumerism, Labor Unions, and the Pursuit of the American Dream. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1995.

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1995

Marie Allen. The Food Stamp Records Project: Final Report. Washington, DC: Intergovernmental Cooperative Appraisal Program, 1995.

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1994

Debra Newman Ham. The African-American Mosaic. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1993.

Richard Cox. "The Record It Is Evolving." Records and Retrieval Report, Volume 10, no.3 (March 1994).

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1993

William Allen. The Dome: An Architectural History of the U.S. Capitol. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1992.

National Archives and Records Administration and Social Issues Resource Series, Inc. The United States at War: 1944. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration and Boca Raton, FL: Social Issues Resources Series, Inc., 1992.

Library of Congress. Acquisitions: Manuscript Division 1991. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1992.

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1992

Thomas Wilsted and William Nolte. Managing Archival and Manuscript Repositories. Washington, DC: Senate Historical Office.

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1991

Arva Michelson. Expert Systems Technology and Its Implications for Archives. National Archives Technical Information Paper No. 9, Washington, DC: Archival Research and Evaluation Staff, National Archives and Records Administration, March 1991.

New York State Archives. Archives & You: The Benefits of Historical Records. Albany: University of State of New York, the State Education Department State Archives and Records Administration, 1990.

Kenneth W. Rose. The Availability of Foundation Records: A Guide for Researchers. North Tarrytown, NY: Rockefeller Archive Center, 1990.

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1990

David Bearman. Archival Methods. Pittsburgh: Archives and Museum Informatics, 1989.

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1989

James Gregory Bradsher. Managing Archives and Archival Institutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988.

New York State Archives. Strengthening New York's Historical Records Program: A Self-Study Guide. Albany: New York State Education Department, 1989.

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1988

New York State Archives. Our Memory at Risk: Preserving New York's Unique Research Resource. Albany: New York State Education Department, 1988.

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1987

Frederick Stielow. The Management of Oral History Sound Archives. Stamford: Greenwood Publishing, 1986.

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1986

[No information available.]

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1985

Jacqueline Goggin. "That We Shall Truly Deserve the Title of Profession: The Training and Education of Archivists, 1930-1960." American Archivist, Volume 47, no.3 (Summer 1984).

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1984

Roland Baumann. "Samuel Hazard: Editor and Archivist for the Keystone State." Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 107, no. 2 (April 1983).

Virginia Purdy. "Archivaphobia: Its Causes and Cure." Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration, Volume 15, no. 2 (Summer 1983).

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1983

Roland Baumann, ed. A Manual of Archival Techniques. Harrisburg: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1982.

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1982

Leonard Rapport. "No Grandfather Clause: Reappraising Accessioned Records." American Archivist, Volume 44, no. 2 (Spring 1981).

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1981

No award given.

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1980

No award given.

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1979

Richard Cox. "The Origins of Archival Development in Maryland, 1634-1934." Unpublished MA thesis, University of Maryland, 1978.

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